Major Requirements

Regular Majors

After a student has completed 48 semester credits, that student must apply to be admitted to a major in his or her chosen field. Admission to a major field is necessary if the student wants to continue receiving registration times that coincide with his/her class.

A student must complete one of the regular major concentrations described in the section on Curricula with a grade point average of 2.00 or better in courses taken in the department (Opus College of Business for business majors) of the major required for the major. (See section on Academic Programs for a list of these majors.)

A major in a Bachelor of Arts degree program consists of 30 to 44 credits in the area of concentration plus allied courses as specified by the department in which the major is offered. No more than 48 semester credits in the department of the major field or 56 credits in the Opus College of Business (for business majors) may be counted toward the 132 credits required for a degree.

A major in a Bachelor of Science degree program (or an Engineering program) may require more than 48 semester credits in the field of the major.

Students in all majors except the business major areas, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering must earn a minimum of 84 credits outside the major field. Students following the business major requirements or the electrical or mechanical engineering requirements must earn a minimum of 76 credits outside the Opus College of Business or their major, as appropriate.

Students with transfer courses in the major must also attain a 2.00 grade point average for the courses taken in the department (Opus College of Business for business majors) of the major at St. Thomas. (See section on Requirements for a Degree).

If major field requirements or courses specified in the catalog are no longer available, the chair of the appropriate department will designate acceptable substitutes for the major program.

The department has the right to specify how many courses in the major field (and at what level) must be taken at St. Thomas. Students may earn more than one major.

Procedures for applying to a major are available from the Office of the University Registrar.

Majors at other Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities (ACTC) Institutions

A student wishing to complete a major offered at one of the ACTC schools (and not offered at St. Thomas), must file a petition with the Committee on Studies for approval. In the petition, the student should indicate his/her acceptance for the major by the chair of the department at the other institution, the list of courses that will need to be completed at that institution, and the name of a St. Thomas faculty member in a closely-related field who will act as an adviser. Core curriculum requirements for St. Thomas and any prerequisites for courses in the major program offered at St. Thomas will be taken on the home campus.

Individualized Majors

A student may pursue a major other than one of the regular majors described in the section on Curricula.

An individualized major requires the selection of a faculty adviser, a proposal explaining the rationale for the selection of courses (which should include lower- and upper-division courses), a number of credits in accordance with the guidelines for a regular major, and approval by the Committee on Studies.